Estranged
by Kaeme
Summary: Sakura snaps! Inner & Outer merge... what's going on! Dedicated to fans who wanted Sakura to stop being so annoyingly optimistic and pitifully weak. [OOC][Sakura x ? perhaps Sakuracentric... you decide!]
1. Sakura Snaps! Battle with the Soundnin

Written in a fit of anger and frustration; thus the numerous swear words.

Enjoy!

Forest of Death (episode 32) 

'_Why? Why am I so weak?'_

'_**Because you lack hatred. Anger. Fury. To put it simply, billboard-brow, you suck.'**_

'SHUT UP! SHUT HTE FUCK UP! My teammates—our teammates are about to die and all you can do is taunt me? Tease me? A helluva lot of help you've been.'

No reply. Silence. Well, at least in her mind.

Haruno Sakura, pre-teen ninja, and top graduate in her class in terms of grades and academics was in a dire situation. She was held captive by a female Sound genin, Kin, whilst another Sound genin, Zaku, was about to kill her "beloved" Sasuke-kun.

Her emerald eyes watched in horror as Kin smiles and tells Zaku to hurry up and kill the still-unconscious Sasuke. Her tear-streaked face froze as everything seemed to slow...

'He's gonna die... he's gonna die...' She thought back to how her teammates were always there for her, protecting her, while all she did was cower and cry needless tears. She thought of courageous Rock Lee leaping valiantly to her rescue, even though he was from another genin team. 'They're all gonna die...because of me...' The tears started to fall faster.

'_**THEN DO SOMETHING!'**_At the mental scream of her alter ego something snapped. Sakura screamed.

'WHO THE FUCK DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? WHO THE FUCK ARE THEY TO DO THIS TO ME—TO MY FRIENDS?!'

Something snapped.

In utter outrage, Sakura slipped out a kunai and cut her hair free from Kin's grasp. This was her battler—her turn to shine. They don't know who they're messing with.

Sakura's Fight Scene + Ino-Shika-Cho battle – You know what happened here. I won't bother recapping.

'I'm waking... no... I'm awake. And I will avenge.'

"Sakura. Who did this to you?" She looked up at him—this was not the Sasuke she knew. No. This was someone else—someone wholly possessed—someone else entirely. "Who did this to you?" He asked again.

"I did." His attention drawn away from her, she almost sighed in relief. Almost. But she saw him as he fought. He changed. Who was he now?

Too quickly, he, this new Sasuke, clenched Zaku's arms from the back while stepping upon his back with his foot. A crack. And a scream. But he kept pulling...

'_NO!'_

"NO!" Sakura raced forward and hugged the boy from the back. She stared at him with wide green eyes, pleading him to stop. Something inside him snapped. And just like that, it was over—too soon.

'_**FINISH HIM!'**_

Too fast for anyone at the scene to comprehend the pink-haired kunoichi that everyone knew to be so sweet and caring viciously stabbed Zaku in the shoulder and down with her kunai, successfully piercing his lungs. He didn't have the time, nor the air, to scream. "It's over." She whispered darkly. "Finally."

Then, she stood up, brushed off her hands and stalked back to the cave where Naruto was still lying unconscious and clueless. She calmly laid a wet cloth upon his forehead, then sat down against the wall of the cave to rest.

--

Fin...for now.

I may add more chapters... if people show any interest in a "Dark Sakura"-type story.


	2. Ambushed! Will We Make It?

_Well, at least I've got one person who reviewed. So I suppose I'll update (got nothing better to do, anyway). Please excuse the horrible formatting and atrocious spelling/grammar errors from the last chapter. It was typed in a rushed manner and I didn't do a secondary edit after I uploaded it. screwed it up, I swear. . _

_Considering I'm semi-rewriting some scenes from the Forest of Death arc… there may be some changes and mistakes in what actually has happened. Either a) I made it that way to establish further plotlines or b) I screwed up and need you guys to tell me I did. Oh yeah, and a part in this scene was ripped off of another Forest of Death episode. Enjoy!_

_K_

--

**2: Ambushed! Will We Make It?  
**

_Beside a river, Team 7 encampment, Forest of Death_

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Once again, Naruto attempted, unsuccessfully, to catch fish from the nearby stream.

Sasuke stood nearby, throwing kunai to a tree. Sakura is kneeling beside a pile of wood, attempting to start a fire. _'Needs more dry kindling.'_ "Sasuke, Naruto, I'm going to go scout for more dry wood. I'll be back in a few."

"Sakura—"

"I know, Sasuke. Hm.." Sakura subconsciously tucked her hair behind her left ear. "Ask me this: 'How much wood did you collect?' I will reply 'Not too much, but enough to suffice.' Please remember the exact wording—or I may have to kill you on the basis of reasonable doubt." Sakura nodded to Naruto and walked into the nearby woodland.

Naruto gazed at her retreating back. "Oi. Sasuke-teme. What happened to her?"

'_So he's noticed it, too. Well, with a change this drastic, even a complete moron like him would notice it.'_

"Nothing you need to know, dobe."

"Sasuke! Even I noticed the change! What happened when I was unconscious?"

"A group of Sound-nin attacked. I'm guessing some of the others must've told you that already."

"Specifics, Sasuke, specifics!" As hotheaded as always, Naruto became irritated.

"What specifics, Naruto?" A cool feminine voice joined the conversation. Sakura had returned. She carried a bundle of wood with her.

"Eh? Nothing, Sakura-chan!"

"How much wood did you collect?" Sasuke asked, setting his calculating gaze upon her.

"Not too much, but enough to suffice. How's target practice going, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Hn." Two kunai embedded themselves in a tree beside Sakura's head.

"Sasuke-kun! What was that for?!" A bewildered Sakura exclaimed.

"For being a fake." Another pink-haired kunoichi appeared beside Sasuke, placing a bundle of wood on the ground beside the soon-to-be campfire. Both genin held three more kunai in their hands.

Naruto jumped up and pointed at the two Sakuras, jaws gaping open in shock. "You're—but—she—two—Sasuke-teme!! WHICH ONE'S THE REAL SAKURA?!"

"Obviously the one beside me, dobe." Sasuke coolly answered, his eyes still trained upon the first Sakura.

"And how do you know?!"

"He noticed that she added the '–kun' to his name when she addressed him. Furthermore, her hair is tucked behind her right ear. I thought even an idiot like you would notice something as apparent as that." Sakura sat down and started laying more wood upon the growing pile in the middle of their camp. "Come out, Kabuto."

The image of the first Sakura dissipated and Kabuto's figure appeared. "Now, now, Sakura-san! Who knew you'd grow so much in such a short period of time? When was the last time I met you?"

"You would remember wouldn't you? Unless, of course, you're another fake."

"Ah, yes, of course. No need to be so hostile now, Sakura! Hello Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun!"

"Why were you impersonating Sakura?" Sasuke kept his kunai out, eyes narrowing.

"Why, I just wanted to play around with you! Testing your abilities, see?" He answered casually.

"He is harmless, at the moment. No need to stay tense, Sasuke." Sakura addressed them. She had managed to start a fire.

"Hn." Sasuke placed his kunai back into his pouch and sat down beside the blaze.

"Eh?! Sakura-chan? Sasuke-teme? Kabuto?!" Naruto, confused as always, pointed fingers at each person, but, seeing as none of them planned to respond, settled down beside the fire as well. Kabuto sat down beside him.

"Kabuto-san, why are you here?" Sakura knelt beside the fire, warming her left hand while her right hand fed some yellowed grass to the fire.

"Eh? Well… awhile back, my team left me." He shifted so he faced Sakura and pushed up his glasses with an index finger. The light reflected from his lenses made his glasses opaque and his eyes invisible to the rest of the group.

"You're lying." Sakura replied plainly.

"Now, now, Sakura-san. Tell me, how would you know?" He asked. "I don't think one would lie about being abandoned by one's own comrades so easily."

"A typical 'guilty,' as an example, person would tend to, almost subconsciously touch their face or neck or fix pieces of clothing, and accessories. They will also unlikely make eye contact with the person, or, in this case, persons they are lying to. In addition, you would not have stalled with useless phrases such as 'eh?' and 'well…' before you answered. And when you did provide your answer, your tone of voice and facial expression showed no changes in relation to what you have said. And, I might add, you gave your answer in too-quick succession after your stall."

"Ah, but, Sakura-san, I turned to face you and answered your question calmly, did I not? I believe those are traits of a truthful person," Kabuto defended himself.

"And you also went directly to the defensive after I accused you of lying. You, Kabuto-san, are a liar." Sakura finished her explanation.

Kabuto smiled and politely dipped his head. "I digress, Sakura-san. You have grown much and improved some more." He shifted again. _She has changed… an abnormally large amount._

"Don't change the subject. Why are you here and what happened to your team?"

"I'm here because my teammates disappeared," Kabuto replied simply. The other three stared at him.

"Kabuto-san… gomen…when did they disappear?" Sakura asked gently.

"We were camping by this river. But when I returned from collecting some water, they had vanished and left behind only our scrolls."

"Scroll**s**? You already had both?"

"Hai. We were going to head to the tower after resting. But when I returned from fetching some water, they had died and left two blank scrolls."

"A hypnotism jutsu invoking unconsciousness written into the scroll…" Sakura pondered.

Kabuto nodded. "Once you wake up from the spell, you will be disqualified from the Chuunin Exams."

Throughout the discussion, Sasuke remained impassive, while his mind started to wander. _'This much, eh? No doubt the Sound-nin attack must have traumatized her mind. And Kabuto is attempting to find the physical evidence of this change. He seems like he knows of Sakura's outburst earlier. But how much does he know?'_ Naruto stared at one person to the next, as if playing audience to a great tennis match. _'Sakura-chan… What happened to you? Why—how did you change? And why now of all times?' _Uncountable questions weaved through his thoughts.

"Naruto?"

"Huh…eh? EH?! Sakura-chan!" Naruto was jerked from his thoughts as Sakura tapped him on the shoulder.

"Could you give me one of the fish you caught?"

"Oh. Sure." He handed her one of his biggest catches, a Yamame trout (1). Sakura placed the fish on a contraption made from overly-large twigs and overly-large leaves. She had the twigs stuck into the ground and constructed in such a way that leaves may be put over them to make a pan of sorts. After covering the "pan" with some water to steam the fish, she had made a second layer on top of it with a lattice of very thin twigs and stalks. This was the layer the fish would be put on.

"Sugoi… Sakura-chan, since when did you know how to build things like this?"

"Oh... here and there. Doesn't take long to teach one." Sakura replied. She moved one of the longer burning twigs onto another, smaller fire pit beside the large one. She placed a smaller version of her fish-cooking contraption over it, but without the lattice of stalks. On this, she poured some water collected from the nearby stream. "This will be our drinking water for tonight. I can make some more and save it for tomorrow."

"Sakura."

"Eh? Sasuke? What is it?"

"Can I talk to you—privately?" Sasuke motioned to a secluded clearing closer to the woods than the river, and far enough away from the campfire to be within earshot of Kabuto and Naruto.

"Um…alright. Naruto!"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Watch the fish and the water. When the water under the fish is almost half-evaporated, flip the fish with these twigs, which I have taken the liberty of removing the bark and washed in the river. When the water over the other fire has started bubbling, pour it onto this smaller leaf—it's been bent to form a bowl-like shape. Got that?"

"Hai." Naruto nodded. He looked at Sakura curiously and gave Sasuke a glare.

"Sakura. Let's go." Sasuke turned to leave and Sakura followed.

--

"Sasuke."

"You know what I'm here to ask you, don't you?"

"Hai."

"What happened to you during the Sound-nin fight?"

"I snapped…I guess…" Sakura's expression became confused.

"Explain."

"I…" She sighed. "I put this in technical terms."

Sasuke nodded, _'Go on'._

"When one has too much extra charka in their reserves, a knack for charka control, and constantly bottled up thoughts and emotions, one can develop an 'alter ego' of sorts in one's head. It's similar to what's known as a 'conscience' except… it kind of has a personality of its own, and it is much more magnified and makes its presence more known than one's conscience."

"Similar to an 'Inner' version of you?"

"Yes. When I… snapped, my Inner self was screaming at me to do something…" Here, a bit of the original Sakura shone through, "…I was worried for you… for everyone… so I let go. I let my emotions loose and… you know what happened…"

"Ah."

"I guess I kind of merged with my Inner." Her look became slightly hostile, and her tone seemed like she had been played for a fool and given an unfair disadvantage. "And what about _you?_ What happened to you?"

"I…don't know. I wanted revenge. Sakura, I'm an Avenger. The…that bite Orochimaru gave me…I felt such power…the need to fight…to kill…to avenge…."

"Ah." Sakura lifted her head. "The fish is ready. Time to head back."

"Hn."

Normal personas regained, the two returned to camp.

"Sakura-chan! Dinner's ready!"

"Mm…I noticed. Look's like all my hard work was worth it." She took an overly large leaf and four smaller leaves from a pile beside the fire. After placing the fish itself on the largest leaf, she separated it into four parts and placed each on the smaller leaves. Then, she poured the water from over the smaller fire into a bowl-like leaf and left it to cool. "Dig in, everyone!"

They chorused, "Itadakimasu!"

--

"Ne, Sakura-chan. You cook well." Naruto remarked. They had finished their evening meal and were clearing camp to head towards the tower.

"Arigatou, Naruto."

"Kabuto. How are we going to get there and still find our Heaven scroll?"

"This second exam is set up in a way that the closer you get to the castle, the more teams you are likely to meet, and the higher the level of danger. These teams will probably be already in the area surrounding the tower, likely waiting for more teams to rob the scrolls of. There will also be other teams who have both scrolls already heading towards the tower. If you can win against one of these teams, then you will pass this exam."

"Is it that simple?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Well, unfortunately for us, considering this _is _a Chuunin Exam, no, it's not. There will also be Collectors throughout this forest, waiting to ambush you for your scroll. Although they do not need more scrolls, they will take your scroll to sell it to others to gain profit."

"Oh." Naruto's face fell. "Well, it's our last chance to pass this exam. So we'll just have to believe that we _will _make it with both scrolls." He pumped his fist, "Yosh. Iku ze!" (2) The four nin set off.

--

"Ne, Kabuto-san!" Naruto whined, "why is it taking so long? Last time I checked, the tower wasn't _this _far away!"

Sakura's eyes were attuned to the darkness as she looked around. Her brows knitted together in frustration. Something was wrong, but _what?!_

"Sakura. Look." Sasuke pointed to a tree with an oddly-shaped knothole in its trunk. Sakura stared at it. It seemed so familiar… _'Kori Shinchuu no Jutsu!'_ (3)

"Kabuto-san!" Sakura whispered.

"Hai. I know," he replied, face still facing forward and acting as calm as he could.

'_Ah…he's playing along with the jutsu to prevent whoever set this up to notice that we know…'_ Sakura glanced at Sasuke and Naruto from the corners of her eyes. Sasuke acted as calm as he could. Naruto, however, had his brows furrowed and seemed very agitated. _'Not good.'_ "Naruto-kun." Sakura chirped cheerily, hoping to attract his attention. Predictably, it worked.

"H-hai, Sakura-chan?" He was focused—it wasn't often that the girl of your dreams addressed one so tenderly.

"This bright moon should let us see more easily. Ooh…but the shadows it creates makes me feel nervous. Will you walk closer to me, please?" Sakura pleaded. _'Come one, baka! I know you're slow but you can't be _that_ dumb!'_

Sasuke looked at Sakura with something resembling bewilderment on his face. _'What the hell does she think she's doing?!'_ While Kabuto kept himself pacified and acted as if everything was completely normal.

--

"_**Tch. Morons. Look at that kunoichi…she doesn't deserve to be a chuunin. She's so week and pathetic!"**_

"_**I noticed. Let's finish them off here and now and get their scroll. This team wouldn't survive as chuunin anyway. The way I see it, we're doing them a favour."**_

--

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto seemed confused. Sakura gestured him to come closer. He obliged. As they continued to walk, Sakura held his hand and gently tapped on his palm in a repeating pattern, with a long pause between each repeat: "Tap—Tap—Tap-, Tap-, Tap—Tap-…Tap-Tap—Tap—Tap—, Tap-Tap-Tap—, Tap—, Tap-Tap-Tap, Tap-Tap-Tap—…Tap-Tap—, Tap—Tap-Tap—Tap-, Tap—, Tap—Tap-, Tap—Tap—Tap—, Tap-Tap—Tap-, Tap—Tap—, Tap-Tap—, Tap-Tap—Tap-Tap-…… [repeat," and so on. After a minute or so, Naruto decoded the Morse code to "GENJUTSU… ACT NORMAL." Although his not-as-moronic-as-it-would-appear brain worked quick to acknowledge the surroundings and notice the repeating scenery, his facial expression remained impassive and he continued walking as it nothing had occurred.

--

"_**Now?"**_

"_**Yes. Now."**_

--

Suddenly, the calming woodland scene of bright, powdery moonlight seeping through green foliage dissipated and the original haunting scene of the Forest of Death returned. A group of rain nin dressed in odd-looking beige uniforms appeared in the dozens in front of the Konoha group. Their enemies had finally appeared.

--

Naruto utilizes his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to replicate himself and take the nin head on. However, as each nin is killed another takes its place. The other three nin help as best as they can, striking down as many as possible.

Sasuke uses his kunai- and shuriken-throwing skills to destroy dozens more—only to discover them regenerate as well. Sakura lashes out with a homemade weapon; a kunai attached to each finger, with a shuriken attached to the back of her hand, tied with a thick fishing wire. Kabuto slashes at the reappearing nin, a kunai in each hand.

"Kabuto-san," Sakura panted. She was fighting back-to-back with Kabuto. "This—pant—will not—pant—work—we must—think up—pant—a—pant—new—way of—pant—approach." Kabuto nodded his agreement. If the group were to ever make it to the tower they must think of a way out of this ever-growing mass of shinobi.

"There's only one way this could happen—another genjutsu. These nin don't disappear as normal Bunshin do—and it's obvious they are not simply clones. It seems our opponent is quite adept at this type of jutsu," Kabuto noted. Sakura nodded.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Stop wasting your energy and chakra combating them. This is a genjutsu!" Sakura called out.

"Ah, Sakura-chan. I'll stay here and fight these guys. You three think of a plan," Naruto responded. He performed his shadow clone jutsu again, knowing that time is limited and that he must put his all into making sure they make it through—even putting his own life on the border between life and death to do so.

Sasuke nodded at Naruto and headed towards Sakura and Kabuto. "What's our plan of action?"

"This is, without a doubt, an illusory technique. However, there must be some way for them to actually hurt us. It's possible they may be hiding somewhere, throwing kunai at us to complete the effect.," Kabuto explained. Sakura looks at Naruto fighting the rain nin army. His speed had slowed considerably and it was obvious that his chakra level low; the number of clones he recreated each time lessened noticeably. However, the number of kunai thrown at Naruto's clones had also lessened. _'It seems that our friends think they've already won. It may be time to put on a little play…'_

Unnoticed by the rain nin or the rest of her team, Sakura mumbled something and performed some seals. _'That should set it.'_ "Kabuto, Sasuke. I've got a plan."

--

As Naruto continued to weaken, Sasuke, Kabuto, and Sakura leapt back into the fray. They fought on for awhile, but the number of shinobi in the rain nin army seemed endless. Suddenly, Sakura collapsed in pain, clutching her left shoulder. A patch of crimson seeped out—and it originated quite close to her heart. Naruto dropped back and gave the fight over to the rest of his clones and Sasuke and Kabuto. "Sakura-chan! Are you okay?" Sakura grimaced. "I-I'm fine."

"Sure?"

"Yes," she answered, still grasping her shoulder. Naruto nodded, a bit uncertainly, but returned to the fight, creating another batch of Kage Bunshin. They died out fast. Sakura stood up unsteadily, slashing out at the rain nin with her right arm. Barely before she had started fighting again, Kabuto dropped down, holding his right Achilles' tendon. He'd been cut by a wayward shuriken. Before long, Sasuke had begun to tire and was also injured by the clones—his abdomen had two kunai sticking out. Finally, Naruto tired out and fell to the ground, grimacing in pain as a kunai stuck itself in his right arm.

The rain nin disappeared and the three real nin stepped out. The genjutsu had ended—for the moment. "Pathetic. Trash nin like you four don't even deserve to become Chuunin. It'd probably be easier for all of us if we ended your pitiful lives now." The rain nin closest to them sneered in disgust.

He grabbed Sakura's hair and pulled her up so she faced him. The nin raised a kunai up to her neck and grinned. "Hey little girl, you wanted to play? Oh, too bad. Looks like it's gonna rain…your blood. He slashed her neck—and Sakura disappeared in a poof of smoke, a log replacing her. A net fell down upon the rain nin who had been holding her and multiple shuriken and kunain hit his body. He screamed in agony and blood splattered the ground. His accomplices stared in shock.

"Mobi…" one managed to whisper. The other, however, broke out of the temprorary shock and whipped four three kunai at Kabuto, Sasuke, and Naruto. The three disappeared, with Naruto shadow clones in their place. As the kunai hit, the shadow clones disappeared in puffs of smoke. Then, ropes with kunai attached to both ends whipped around both rain nin, effectively tying them together. Sakura shadow clones leapt from the trees, each holding a rope. They twisted the ropes together and wrapped explosive tags around the bundle of kunai at the end. Three of the Sakuras took out a kunai each and neared the captured nin. Shifting through their pockets, they found many more rops, trick wire and such things that they had used to make their genjutsu seem real. Finally, one of the three picked out an Earth scroll and motioned to the real Sakura, hiding within the shadows. Sakura stepped out and stuck the kunai into the ground, then motioned to Sasuke, who had stayed hidden in the shadow of a nearby bush.

"KATON: GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!" A burst of flame made its way onto the bundle of kunai, effectively lighting the explosive tag and producing another larger flame that traversed its way along the rope towards the two unfortunate rain nin.

"YOSH! Mission successful!" Naruto threw his fists into the air celebration victory.

"Yatta!" Sakura exclaimed, grinning.

"Hn…" Sasuke leaned against a tree. _Baka…_

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto smiled, "Now, we need to get to the tower before we are ambushed again."

"Hai," Sakura nodded, "It'll be more dangerous now, since we have both scrolls and there's always the likelihood that someone has seen us while we were fighting."

With all said and done, the group journeyed to the tower.

--

(1) A common freshwater fish found in Japan.

(2) Yosh Alright/Okie-dokie/Yes! Iku zeLet's go.

(3) A type of Genjutsu in the manga/anime that causes the victim to walk in circles, never to reach their destination.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Took me awhile to update…actually, over 2 week…I spent some time writing, nagged myself for a few days, then wrote some more. That should explain it…

Eugh…I wish I could write more but I've been lagging for awhile and I really need to get a chapter out. More to follow, I promise!


	3. Unforseen:Preliminaries? Sasuke's Hickey

It's official. Fanfiction. Net hates me. The stupid QuickEdit makes all my extra/empty lines triple, told me my document was empty (even though it wasn't), which led me to upload a different document and have to copy/paste and reformat everything, and wouldn't even let me log in yesterday. And all this admist my other techonology-related troubles in which I was a mere victim of malfunction. And no one even bothered to help me (believe me, I've submitted multiple support requests). Oh woe be me.

Anyways, enough of my troubles. Read on! ((And vote... see end A/N))

--

**3: Unforseen: Preliminaries?! Sasuke's Hickey**

_The Tower, Centre of The _ _Forest__ of __Death_

"YATTA!" Predictably, Naruto was found hopping up and down as if he had springs on his feet, "I've been waiting for this moment forever!

"Eh… not really…" Standing deadpanned beside him were Sakura and Sasuke, both having successfully made it safely into the tower with him

"Now, now, Naruto-kun; we barely made it, you know," Kabuto smiled. He glanced out the entrance of the tower. "Ah sorry guys, but I believe I've got other matters to attend to. I'll leave you three here then! Ja ne!

"Hn," stoic and uncaring as always, Sasuke barely responded

"Ah. Ja, Kabuto-san," Sakura gave a slight nod

"EHH?!?! Leaving already?? Why?!" Naruto paused his victory dance and looked questioningly at Kabuto

"Etou…

"Kabuto-san.

"What is it, Sakura-san?

"Didn't you say your teammates are basically disqualified from the Chuunin exams?" Sakura's face remained deadpan

"Hai," Kabuto chuckled, "Sakura-san has been thinking this over for awhile, ne?

"Of course. So if your teammates are disqualified, then you're disqualified, too. Which means you have absolutely no reason to be with us… unless…

"Go on, Sakura-san. Unless…?" Kabuto's unfading smile seemed rather disconcerting

"Unless you weren't meaning to help them at all in the first place," Sasuke looked at Kabuto, guarded anger reflecting in his eyes. He nodded at Sakura and the two opened the Earth and Heaven scrolls, unleashing a summoning jutsu.

Iruka appeared before the four in a puff of smoke. "Eh? Naruto? Sakura? Sasuke? You're finally here!" His eyes crinkled up with joy. But happiness was short-lived when he caught sight of a determined Sakura, an enraged Sasuke, both holding scrolls, a confused Naruto, and a smirking Kabuto. "Kabuto! Why are you here with Team Seven and not your own team?!

Said person pushed up his glasses, the light reflecting off them to hide his eyes. "My team? Oh, they're not here yet. But I'm sorry, everyone; as I've told Naruto-kun, Sakura-san, and Sasuke-kun, I've other matters to attend to. Gomen, Iruka. Ja!" Performing a simple seal, he vanished in a puff of smoke as Iruka rushed forward to try to stop him.

"Saa…" Iruka put his hand to his head. "Do you three have any idea what he has up to?

"Ehh?? Iruka-sensei! Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan wouldn't tell me anything and now they've teamed up! What's going on?!?" Confused and irritated as ever, the hotheaded Naruto whined and complained profusely

"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke

"Tch. Baka." Sakura

"Eh?" Iruka became rather befuddled as well at the fact that the ever-happy and optimistic Sakura had sunk to Sasuke's three-syllables-or-less level

"Ah…" Thankfully (for Iruka at least), Sakura broke the awkward silence. "Tch…" She sighed, "Let's get it over with then. Iruka-sensei?

Still looking puzzled, Iruka recovered somewhat, "Ne? Ah, yes. Okay, since you're the last group to arrive…" (cue Naruto's "EHHH????") "…I'll take you to join the rest of the teams who've passed this exam.

"Arigatou." Sakura bowed her head slightly .

"Etou…" Iruka, still not quite used to the new and not-so-social Sakura, hesitated a bit before giving a few last words of encouragement to the three, "Ganbatte, Minna-san!

--

_Large Hall/Room, Tower, Forest of Death _

_Hn… 18?_ Anko glanced over the Genin assembled before he. _Psh, I was expecting around 10…_ She looked rather dejected. "Hm… 18 of you have made it past my exam, eh? Although I was expecting around 10… nonetheless you have indeed passed. So, congratulations, everyone, on successfully getting both scrolls, and not dying in the Forest of Death!" She seemed rather _too_ cheerful on the topic of death… didn't she

((It's 18 people instead of the original 21 people, because Kabuto's team was disqualified, remember?)

"A-anou… Sakura-chan, that exam sensei scares me…" Frankly, it wasn't surprising to see Anko become one of Naruto's fears

"Won't be the first time something scared you…" Sakura muttered. It was getting tedious. Carefully stifling a yawn, Sakura looked around at her fellow Genin. _18, eh? Saa… and what's this? All of the Rookie Nine made it as well? Tch. Kind of a surprise, actually. I was sure Ino-pig's team would lose first… meh._ Involuntarily, Sakura's thoughts drifted towards the darker parts of the last exam. _Orochimaru_

-

_Sakura's eyes widened at the two bloodred holes upon the uncommonly white skin on Sasuke's neck. Ghastly black patches clouded some of the skin beside it and as more black appeared, a strangely-shaped bruise was formed. A trio of three comma-like shapes. A… seal  
_

_"I gave him a farewell present," Orochimaru, still in a Genin's body, the face melting away, grinned, "Sasuke-kun will seek me. He will seek me for power.  
_

Sakura's mind traversed back to the clearing where the three Soundnin attacked Team Seven

_In a whirl of purple mist, Sasuke regained consciousness and started to stand up. The bruise on his neck had spread throughout his body, covering him in black marks. His eyes were already in Sharingan form. And his grin remained vaguely redolent of Orochimaru. His eyes seemed no longer human—something beyond… something much more sinister  
_

_"Sakura…" he croaked, "Who did this to you?" She looked up at him—this was not the Sasuke she knew. No. This was someone else—someone wholly possessed—someone else entirely. "Who did this to you?" He asked again  
_

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to forget that time… but the past refused to fade.

_Zaku confessed to the deed with a smirk. Sasuke broke his arms. Sakura cried and grabbed Sasuke from behind, her tear-streaked face bringing him back to reality  
_

_But then… the rest became a blur. Amnesia..? No. Something, something hidden deep in her mind wouldn't let her pry into the events of that day. After that blank, however, everything was crystal-clear: She awoke from a kind of unbidden slumber and found a kunai in her hand and a bloodied corpse before her. Half of her was absolutely disgusted at the sight and wanted to toss everything away and just sit down and clutch her ears, trying to drown the world out. The other half of her… relished the feeling of having killed another living being, delighted in the thought of having ended another's life and secured one's own, even if just for a while  
_

She remembered on slightly, of the other Genin staring at her, not a word spoken, not an action taken, simply from the shock of Sakura, calm, always so optimistic and caring Sakura stabbing and killing another individual. She didn't just kill them—she looked like she thoroughly enjoyed it.

_Tired… I was so tired… Sakura then found herself in the cave she had used to care for her teammates when they were unconscious. And then everything faded into black, as her psyche struggled to recover itself._

_Saa… that's what happened? No… there was something more… but… I don't remember… why? Why can't I remember?! _

**_Because you're pitiful, dumbass._** Some small voice at the back of her head retorted.

_Eh? Who are you? What are you??_ No response. She sighed. _Huh. Look at me. Talking to myself—and in my head, no less! Pathetic…_

--

By now, the Hokage had taken over, and was explaining the basis for the Chuunin exams. He'd almost finished. "And now, I will begin the explanation of the Third Exam, but…" his monologue ended somewhat when he broke into coughs

Another teacher bowed before the group of people and took over for the Hokage. "I, Gekkou Hayate, the instructor for the next exam, will explain."

"Please do," the Hokage replied

Hayate stood up and addressed the waiting Genin. "Minna-san, it's nice to meet you. Before the Third Exam, there's something I want you to do…" he broke into coughs

_He doesn't look like he's healthy enough to be an exam instructor… should he even be here?!_ Sakura looked on in apprehension

"I need you," the instructor continued, "to fight in preliminary matches to determine the Genin who will advance into the Exam's main battle.

_Preliminary matches_

Nara Shikamaru, standing behind Ino, was outraged. After going through all that, they weren't even at the last exam yet?! "_Preliminary matches?!_ What the hell do you mean?! Wasn't the last exam enough?! Why can't we just continue to the Third Exam with the remaining examinees?

Hayate sighed, "In this case, either the First and Second exams were both too easy, or something, but there are too many examinees left. According to regulations, we must decrease the number of participants for the Third Exam.

_SERIOUSLY?!?!_ Sakura's eyes widened

"As the Third mentioned before," Hayate continued (_Ehh?? I guess I shouldn't have tuned it out…_Sakura noted.), "there will be many guests at the Third Exam, so we cannot just have an enormous line-up of matches. We've got to put forth the best. And besides that, we've got limited time as well. So…," he broke into another bout of coughs. "Excuse me. So, if anyone is not feeling well and wants to withdraw from the exams after hearing the rest of this explanation, please let me know.

_Withdraw? Preliminary matches?? GUESTS?? Ugh…As much as I hate using this word, there's no better phrase to describe it… so troublesome…_Sakura felt the tension in the room tighten as everyone waited for someone else to withdraw… whilst debating whether to withdraw themselves

"Ah. I forgot to mention this, but the preliminary matches will be 1-on-1. Please withdraw if you wish," Hayate added

_I won't withdraw. Never._ But Sakura's train of thoughts was broken as another yawn threatened to surface. She stifled it with some difficulty, while rubbing her tired eyes. _I should've slept a bit more when I could've… A-ah..? Nani??_ Her brow furrowed with worry and concern, reminiscent of the old Sakura; Sasuke, standing in front of her, held his neck, with a grimace on his face. _The seal… (**or hickey…**_ something mischievous flashed by on Sakura's face, but her distress reappeared soon after) …_that Orochimaru gave him… agh, why the hell didn't I help him back then? An injured teammate would only bring down the team…_ She sighed. "Sasuke-kun? Is it.. the…

"Iie. I'm fine. The pain comes and goes." _Kusou…the intervals between the spasms pain are becoming shorter._ He winced as the pain stabbed at his neck muscles again

"A-are you sure?" _If it gets worse… you have to withdraw…_ Sakura wanted to tell him. But she couldn't. It was obvious from the look in his eyes that there was no way in Hell he would withdraw from the exams

"Heh," he smirked between the grimaces

"Eh?

"You called me 'Sasuke-kun'. "

"Yamero, Sasuke! This is serious!" _Huh… I sound desperate… but…kuso… I guess old crushes die hard._ Sakura felt her eyes tear up. _Tch. Damn stubborn teme. It's hard to give you up, eh?_ She swiped roughly at her eyes, willing the wetness away. "Please withdraw… I-I'm scared for you…

Naruto watched the exchange from the front of the line. _Sakura-chan… _"Damnit, Sasuke-teme, can't you see she's worried about you?! At the very least, comfort her or something!" _We may be enemies… but Sakura-chan still likes you, teme; you're the only one who can reassure her_

_Agh…_ Frowning at his teammates' unexpected responses, Sasuke's hand clenched his neck tighter. _Itai… _"Sakura…

Sakura looked up at him. "Sasuke…?

"I can't withdraw. I won't.

"But--! Argh. You are such a stubborn ass! Saa… if you don't withdraw you might not make it anyway! If you won't tell them… I…

"Don't. Sakura, yamero. I'm an aven…

"Oh, SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'm tired of all your 'I'm an avnger, yada yada, revenge, blah, blah, kill a certain man, blah blah, save my clan.' And there's another thing, don't you think that you might get your fucking stubborn ass killed when you're out there and you might not even restore you clan in the first palce?! FOR KAMI'S SAKE SASUKE, STOP BEING SUCH A DAMN EGOTISTICAL SELFISH BRAT!!!

The last sentence got his attention—well, rather, the whole room's attention. The Genin surrounding them turned and stared at Sakura as she finished berating Sasuke for being a "damn egotistical selfish brat", and the said Uchiha's eyes widened, but only for about half a second

"Haruno Sakura!

"Eh?" Sakura turned to see the Hokage, who, unfortunately, had heard her whole enraged monologue and seemed _very_ upset (that's an understatement) at her unladylike vocabulary

_Heh… eruption of _ _Mt.__Sakura__…_At the front of the room, Kakashi seemed rather amused by the whole thing

"No matter how much you think that 'egotistical brat' is at fault, Sakura, it's no excuse for you to have such an outburst in the middle of the Chuunin Exams!

"S-sumimasen, Hokage-sama." Sakura bowed her head in shame

The Hokage sighed, "I suppose that's enough. Now, Hayate?

"Ah." Hayate nodded. "So, I'm assuming that, since no one has volunteered, none of you are withdrawing?" His question hung in the air as the Genin now glanced at each other, each expecting someone else to back out whilst debating whether to back out themselves

"Sasuke!" Sakura whispered furiously

"I… I won't, Sakura. And you know I won't.

Sakura sighed. "I guess there's no way to convince you." She closed her eyes and let any remaining tears of either anger or sorrow drop. "Then…" she opened one eye in a wink and half-smiled at him, "…we'll just have to do our best! Ganbatte, Sasuke, Naruto. We're definitely going to get through this, ne?" _We'll have to… _

-

"Hokage-sama!" Anko exclaimed, "The seal is starting to awaken; we should take him out of the Exams and isolate him somewhere with ANBU escorts. We need to advise him to withdraw immediately, and…

"He's not one to listen to you, Anko. He didn't even listen to his own teammates, eh?" Kakashi broke in, his single showing eye signaling that he was smiling under that piece of cloth, "He is, after all, part of the famous Uchiha clan.

"I'll make him quit using force, if I have to! The seal reacts whenever he tries to mould Chakra and it will extract the power from him! It's absolutely ludicrous to let him stay in the Exams!" She turned to the Sandaime. "Hokage-sama!

Sarutobi looked at the three Team Seven Genin. It appears they have solved their dilemma… but it also seems like the pain from the seal has not subsided. He sighed. "Uchiha Sasuke is part of Kakashi's team… and he's not the type to listen to you, anyway. Although I admit this problem with Orochimaru troubles me… however, let's let him compete in the Exams and observe it for now.

"Na…Hokage-sama!

"However, if the seal opens and his powers become uncontrollable, we must step in a stop him.

Anko sighed. "Understood.

-

At the front of the group of Genin, Hayate coughed. "Ahem. Sumimasen, Minna-san. Anyways," he continued, "It's unanimous. All of you will be fighting in the preliminary matches. Alright, then. Let's begin the preliminary matches

"They will be one-on-one matches; in other words it will be like real combat. We have 18 people, so there will be 10 matches, and the winners will advance to the Third Exam. You will fight until your opponent is knocked out, admits defeat, or dies," Hayate clarified, "If you do not wish to die, please step down immediately

"However, I may step in and declare the match finished and stop any unnecessary deaths," He coughed, "The thing that will determine your opponent…" He turned to Anko, who muttered something into a mike

A low rumbling could be heard as a screen was lifted to reveal a large, rectangular screen embedded into the wall behind the statue of a hand seal at the front of the room

"…will be this," finished Hayate. "This electric bulletin board will randomly display the names of two fighters for each match. Without further ado, I will now display the names for the first match…

--

**A/N TIME:** BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! This is where the REAL FUN starts! D I'd like YOU, the readers to tell me who to match up against who. In addition, I'd also like you all to match up our poor, deranged heroine, Sakura-san, with any guy of your choice, be he a crazed revenge-seeker, a psychopathic homicidal maniac, a tensai (genius/prodigy), just a random regular guy, or a complete and utter freak. If I don't get enough votes, I, the insignificant and unrecognized author of this story will have to randomly pull names from a hat (seriously! I will actually do that!) So! With all said and done, please vote!!

Oh yeah, and feel free to eat me or force me to watch continuous episodes of Miffy for not updating for so long.

**MY APOLOGIES:** I feel like this chapters a bit off… like Sakura isn't as dark as I wanted her to be, Sasuke's too OOC and I didn't get the Hokage in-character either… / Oh well. And I kinda watched the old Naruto episodes whilst writing this as well…. Agh! DON'T KILL ME!


	4. Eye to Eye! It's Genkai vs Genkai!

"_The thing that will determine your opponent…" He turned to Anko, who muttered something into a mike._

_A low rumbling could be heard as a screen was lifted to reveal a large, rectangular screen embedded into the wall behind the statue of a hand seal at the front of the room._

"…_will be this," finished Hayate. "This electric bulletin board will randomly display the names of two fighters for each match. Without further ado, I will now display the names for the first match…"_

------------------------------

**4: Eye to Eye! It's **_**Genkai**_** vs **_**Genkai**_

Symbols flickered to life on the screen, then began to shimmer as the names of various _Genin_ rapidly flashed on to and off the screen. Finally, the machine decided upon two names:

"_HYUUGA NEJI  
VS  
UCHIHA SASUKE"_

"The fighters for the first match are Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke. Are there any objections?"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke. His obsidian eyes seemed determined to get the match over with, despite the throbbing from Orochimaru's bite. _Tch… pigheaded moron. Looks like he's not going to back down anytime soon. Ah well, small loss. _She mentally scoffed. Boys always go to the extreme doing such pointless things.

"Alright. Everyone, except the two _Genin_ whose names are on the bulletin board, please leave the arena. The match will begin now," Hayate announced.

The spectating nin migrated to the balconies lining the sides of the grand room, some jumping, some actually taking the stairs like normal people, and some using their special abilities to transport themselves. By the time everyone had left the area and prepared themselves for the fight to come, Neji and Sasuke were in their stances, facing each other, Hayate standing somewhat between the two.

"A Hyuuga, eh?" Kakashi remarked.

"Hyuuga…?" Naruto furrowed his brows, thinking hard. "Hmm… Hyuuga… Hyuuga… I know I've heard that name somewhere…"

Sakura, who stood nearby resisted the urge to introduce her forehead to the railing, and sighed to herself.

"AHA! It's that new clothing store, right?! Hyuuga Boutique! Near Ichiraku's!"

_IDIOT! It's the name of the girl who's been crushing on you for literally _years_! How could you not remember?!_

"Ah…_yie_, Naruto," Kakashi smiled behind his mask, mentally slapping himself at the stupidity of his student. "The Hyuuga Clan is one of Konoha's oldest noble families. They most certainly rival the Uchiha's in political power, physical strength, and money. Hm…" He chuckled, "This battle feels more like between the two family clans than a mere clash between _Genin_." Byakugan _against_ Sharingan_, eh? Ah, gomen, Sasuke, but it doesn't look good for you…_

"They say the _Sharingan_ evolved from the _Byakugan_…" Sakura muttered to herself. _…that Hyuuga probably knows many of his clan's numerous powerful abilities as well… Sasuke doesn't stand a chance. He should have backed down when he had the chance to. Hm. The other one looks like an arrogant snob, too. Although I must admit... this could prove to be quite entertaining…_

"_Genin_, get into position. At my command now… Begin!" Hayate stepped back, and the two boys leapt away from one another.

They stayed a good distance from each other, poised for either attack or defence, each observing and analyzing the other's stance, body, and, specifically, eyes. Sasuke had activated his _Sharingan_—and Neji wasn't far behind, his white irises carefully deducing the whereabouts of the Uchiha's chakra points. From the balconies, though, Hyuuga Hinata gasped as she saw her cousin's stance. Kurenai, her sensei, standing somewhat behind her, started as well._ That's…_

"Eh? Kakashi-sensei, why does the Hyuuga have such a weird stance?" Naruto asked.

"It's the common starting pose for all Hyuugas when they're preparing to use _Juuken._"

"…_Juu….ken_…?"

Sakura groaned. "Naruto, _Juuken_ is a taijutsu style used solely by the members of the Hyuuga clan. It's used to disrupt the chakra flow of the opponent by emitting a sharp burst of chakra when the user hits the opponent. It can also be used against the internal organs of the opponent, making it a very useful technique against physically stronger opponents since it's impossible to train your internal organs. Since the user must be able to see the chakra circulatory system of the opponent, Juuken can only be used by shinobi with the Hyuugas' _Kekkei Genkai_. What makes this _jutsu_ unique and invaluable is that even the lightest tap could result in severe internal wounds for the victim. That's why it's called_ Juuken_." ((_Juuken - Gentle Fist; Kekkei Genkai - Bloodline Limit_))

"Oh…"

_I don't think any of that penetrated his skull… _Sakura sighed. "Whatever. Just watch the match, it's started."

The two Team Seven _Genin_ returned their attention to the match at hand. Sasuke, by now was at the far left side of the arena, and Neji was standing a few metres or so away from him. Sasuke had red, swollen spots along his arm, and the arena's floor had burnt, blackened pockmarks, as well as a moderately-sized crater at the far right side of it.

_Kuso…_ The Uchiha heir cursed. He'd used up a sizeable chunk of his chakra trying to hit Neji with the Uchiha Clan's _Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_, whilst trying to avoid the dammed _tensai_'s_ Juuken._ Unfortunately, Neji was called the Hyuuga prodigy for a reason… dodging his Juuken was a helluva lot harder than dodging _kunai_ during practices… ((_Katon: Housenka no Jutsu - Fire Element: Pheonix Immortal Fire; Kuso - Damn; Tensai - Genius/Prodigy_))

"_Begin!"_

_As always, his onyx eyes became red, extra comma-shaped pupils dotting his irises. He could see the other's eyes moving about, probably scrutinizing his every move, every twitch, every blink. Keeping his heart rate steady, Sasuke quickly formed the seals __**'Rat', 'Tiger', 'Dog', 'Ox', 'Rabbit', **__and finally, __**'Tiger'**__. Sasuke shaped his right hand into a cup, the thumb and index finger creating a ring, and brought it up to his lips. He blew three quick, fleeting times, whilst leaping into the air. Three bursts of fire blossomed forth from the Uchiha, each aimed precisely at the Hyuuga._

Amateur._ The mental scoff flitted through Neji's mind as he formed a simple replacement _jutsu_ seconds before the flames hit. As he leapt away from his replacement, he dashed underneath Sasuke and leapt up, appearing behind him. Sasuke wasn't distracted—he'd managed to slice Neji's arms and legs with shuriken a _kunai_ whilst the other boy was on his way up. He pulled out another kunai and prepared himself for the beating he knew the Hyuuga could give—he wasn't the best rookie last year for nothing._

_Neji gathered small amounts of chakra in his palms and focused his eyes upon the chakra points on Sasuke's arms. Those _kunai_ wouldn't be able to block many of Neji's hits—and the genius knew it. Within seconds of heated hand-to-_kunai_ mêlée, Sasuke retreated, arms looking like they'd been hit with a nasty case of Chicken Pox._

_The Hyuuga landed on the ground and took up his stance. The Uchiha landed some distance away from him and prepared another attack. Sasuke attached tags to the handle part of about a dozen or so _kunai_, and tied thin, strong wire to each of them. Leaping into the air once more, he launched the numerous _kunai_ at the Hyuuga, pulling and tugging here and there at the strings until he saw that the Hyuuga showed no signs of moving. Suppressing chakra in the soles of his feet, Sasuke hopped off a nearby wall, pushing the chakra out from his feet, and propelling himself higher. His target in clear view, he performed the necessary seals (__**'Snake', 'Tiger', 'Dragon', 'Rabbit', 'Tiger'**__), and blew a sure stream of fire with the _kunai_-attached strings in his hand. The jets of flame coursed along the strings towards the _kunai_ aimed at Neji. Before the fire could reach the explosive tags attached the the _kunai_ and before the exploding _kunai_ could hit the _tensai_, Neji began to spin…_

_Some of the watching nin in the balconies above winced as the _kunai_ exploded and were flung every which way. Combined, the explosions were blinding. When the smoke cleared and vision returned, Sasuke was at the far right of the arena, the floor was pockmarked, and Neji was standing in a crater._

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouted. His bastard rival better not lose…

_Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin…such a long name for such a simple, yet effective move. A creative _tensai_ now, is it? Interesting…_ Sakura grinned.

Back on the battlefield, Sasuke winced. The wounds the _tensai_ had inflicted upon him hurt like hell.

On the other side of the arena, Neji grinned.

Sasuke swayed and his stance wavered. Neji took the opportunity and leapt forward, hitting Sasuke's chest with his _Juuken_. With a barely audible thump, and the Uchiha slid to the ground. There is blood on the upturned color of his shirt.

"SASUKE!" Naruto hopped from the balcony to the floor of the arena and ran to his fallen teammate. "Teme! You're not supposed to lose!"

"As the Uchiha is unconscious," Hayate spoke, "I will—"

Naruto shook the Uchiha, "Sasuke-teme, WAKE UP! If you don't get up and stop being lazy, you're gonna lose! SASUKE!"

Sakura sighed. _That idiot never learns, does he? Sasuke was gonna lose anyway._ She climbed gingerly over the rail lining the balcony and slipped off the platform, letting herself drop onto the arena. "Naruto."

"Sakura?" Naruto looked up.

"The match is over. Let the nurses take care of him."

"B-b-Sakura-chan!" A sliver of Naruto's usual whine crept into his voice.

Sakura glared. "Naruto. You're disrupting the Exams and delaying the start of the next match. Get off the arena."

Naruto sighed and gave in. Sakura led him to the stairs and the two made their way back to the balcony and their team leader.

"Sakura-chan, you and Kakashi-sensei both knew he was going to lose anyay, huh?"

Sakura nodded, almost shamefully. Kakashi replied, "Yeah."

"But how did Neji win?"

_It was the _Juuken_ wasn't it?_ Sakura tried to take the fight apart piece by piece. _The explosive tags Sasuke used… it must've been a combination of flash tags and fire tags… that made the smoke and the brilliant flash of light… but the flash couldn't have worked… Neji has_ Byakugan_… Although I doubt even his eyes could have resisted the flash… it's true that they say Hyuugas have near-perfect 360 degree vision… well, short by one degree. But isn't one of _Byakugan_'s features x-ray-like vision…?_

"Neji closed his eyes."

"Eh?! Kakashi-sensei, explain!"

_Ah…_ Sakura continued for Kakashi, "The Hyuugan family members have _Byakugan_, of which x-ray vision is a skill. So Neji simply closed his eyes to protect them against the blast of light, and used the x-ray ability to seek out Sasuke and perform _Juuken_ on him. He must have hit Sasuke in a vital part of his body in order to render him unconscious—probably one of the vital organs, and most likely Sasuke's heart."

"And that second hit after the blast is the second part of the deuce that ended this match," Kakashi finished.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered to himself. The Uchiha would be mad as hell when he recovered. Naruto grinned. He could easily imagine Sasuke yelling "I'M AN AVENGER!" and chasing after Neji with a giant club or some other weapon of the sort.

"Naruto!" Kakashi's voice jerked him from his thoughts. "The next match has begun."

And, indeed, in the centre of the arena, stood, well, Sakura!


End file.
